Pumping system



l Oct. v30, 1945. G. A.v PATTERSON 2,387,941

PUMPING SYSTEM Filed April 1o 1945 Patented Oct. 30, 1945 PUMPING SYS TEM Glenn A. Patterson, Davenport, Iowa, assignorto Red Jacket Manufacturing Co.,

Davenport,

Iowa, a corporation of Iowa Application April 10, 1943, Serial No. 482,546

(Cl. 10S-6) 8 Claims.

This invention relates to water systems and more especially to means for charging air into the tank of such a system.

The invention is .of particular merit in deep well pumping systems of the type which have in the past commonly employed a small air pump attached to a moving part of the pumping mechanism to introduce air into the discharge line of the pump to be carried into the pressure storage tank of the system. This arrangement has the disadvantage that involves an air pump having moving parts which requires periodic attention which sometimes wears out and must be replaced or repaired and which normally requires a cylinder of brass which becomes a critical and scarce material in time of war.

An important object of the invention is the provision of a water system wherein-air is introduced into the pressure tank without the use of a separate air pump, and in which air is auto- .matically introduced, -in measured quantity, into the discharge line of the pump to be carried into the tank upon the succeeding period of pump operation.

Another object of the invention is the provision of improved means Afor introducing air into the pressure tank-of a deep well pumping system.

A further object of the invention is the pro- Vision of an improved air chamber arranged to be disposed in the Water line of a pumping system between the pump and the pressure storage tank.

Other objects and 4advantages will :appear from the following description and the accompanying drawing, in which- Figure 1 is a fragmentary side elevational view vshowing a pumping system embodying the invention;

Fig. 2 is a vertical section through the air chamber shown in Figure l;

Fig. 3 is a vertical section through the vent valve, and

Fig. 4 is a section through the bleeder substantially onthe line 4--4 `of Figure 1.

In the embodiment of the invention shown in Figure 1 the numeral 6 designates generally a conventional storage tank in which water is stored underpneumatic pressure having a conventional air release indicated by the numeral l, the air vrelease being no part of the present invention, such releases being a ,common article o-f commerce and taking numerous forms, substantially any of which are suitable, thepurpose of the release being to permit the discharge oi air from the head of the tank when the pressure thereof exceeds the limit for which the release -f is set. rihe system also includes in this instance an electric motor 8 which acts to drive a pumping head 9 which also may be of conventional design, the pumping head functioning to reciprocate a sucker rod In conformity with the conventional practice, the pumping head and motor are supported on a frame |-2 which is .in this instance shown supported on a concrete base I3 projecting above the surface of the ground indicated kgenerally by the numeral I4. A conventional well casing l5 is disposed in the well and projects up a short distance above the ground having the usual wellI seal ylli positioned at the upper end thereof. Disposed within the well casing |5 is the usual vertical v'drop Vpipe projecting down into the well, the well seal being attached thereto as shown at I8. Positioned on the lower end of the drop pipe is a pump cylinder lI9 which in this instance .has a conventional plunger 2| having the usual plunger valve 22 and foot valve 23, the sucker rod being attached to` the plunger 21| in accordance with conventional practice. It will vbe seen that in this instance the pump is of the conventional 'cylinder type in which upward movement of the -sucker rod Il draws water into the pump cylinder by action of the plunger 2|, the foot valve 23 open- -ing to admit the water. When the sucker rod moves downward, the foot valve 23 closes and the water passes to a point above the plunger 2| through the plunger Valve 22 so that water is lifted through the vertical drop pipe I1 upon reypeated reciprocation of the sucker rod into the pump discharge casting 24.

The pump discharge casting 24 is connected to the tank 6 by a pipe within which vis disposed an air chamber 25, a check valve 23 and a pressure control 2l. The pressure control 2l is of conventional form as customarily used in .such

systems and is well known in the art, its function being to control the operation of the pump in response to changes oi" pressure in the tank 6, one suitable form being that sold by Penn Electric Switch Co. of Goshen, Indiana, catalog No. 193. These are commonly set so as to discontinue operation of the pump when the pressure in the tank reaches about 40# and to restart the pump by energizing the motor 8 when the pressure `in the tank drops to about 20s?, upon withdrawal of water from the tank, this control serving to make the system automatic so that water can be repeatedly withdrawn from the tank, Aand when the Ipressure drops to a preselected minimum the Supply 0f water in the tank is automatically replenished. The check valve 28 is disposed in the line between the pressure control 21 and the air chamber 25 and has a conventional check valve arranged to permit flow only in the direction of the arrow, or in other words, from the pump to the tank so that when the pump is stopped, the valve closes to prevent the water from draining out of the tank and prevent substantial loss of pressure.

The air chamber 25, shown in section in Fig. 2, comprises a body 28, in lthis instance formed of a casting having internally threaded bosses 29 and 3| for the reception of nipples or pipes 32 and 33, the former conveniently connecting to a union 34 of a pipe line and the latter connecting to the check `valve 26 so that water flows in the direction of the arrows in Figs. 1 and 2. Disposed transversely of the body 28 across the chamber dened by the body is a partition 35, in this instance projecting from the bottom to a point about four-lifths of the height of the chamber as best shown in Fig. 2 so that the water entering the chamber through the pipe 32 is deflected upwardly and over this partition into the pipe 33 and is caused to displace air in the chamber and force it on through the piping into the tank. While this is a convenient and preferred construction, it will be seen that the essential function of the partition is to effectively place the outlet at an elevated point in the chamber and the inlet at a low point so that the water entering the chamber is caused to displace the air into the outlet pipe. The partition 35 Vhas an opening 36 at the bottom thereof adjacent the bottom of the chamber so as to permit water :to flow back from the pipe 33 as will presently be described, the size of the opening 36 being small with respect to the pipe 32 so that when the pump starts, the right hand side of the chamber facing Fig, 2 will be rapidly lled with water. Disposed in the top wall of the body 28 is a shifter valve 31, one suitable form of which is shown in crosssection in Fig. 3, the valve having a tubular end portion 38 projecting clown into the chamber. This valve has a body 39 threaded into the body casting 28 as shown in Fig. 2 and is constructed substantially in the same manner as the conventional tire inflation Valve with the exception that the spring commonly employed in such valves is preferably omitted. For example, the valve may suitably include the body 38, a metal insert 4I having a threaded portion 42 engaging internal blades 43 on the body and carrying a conical gasket 44 which seats on a sloping face 45 in the bore of the body, the insert being screwed down into sealing engagement with the body. Disposed in the core is a pin 46 having an enlarged head 41, the pin passing through a bore 48 of the insert, the bore being substantially greater in diameter than the pin. The pin also carries a Valve seat 49 having the usual rubber gasket therein adapted to seat against the conicalend of the insert. It will be seen that since the snifter valve 31 is always mounted in a vertical position as shown in Fig. 2, the stem will occupy the position shown in Fig. 3 when the pump is not in operation. While this is a suitable form of valve, it will be apparent that the market affords numerous other valve structures capable of performing the same function.

The pump discharge casting 24 is in this inl stance tapped for a quarter inch pipe connection 52 preferably disposed on a horizontal axis as shown in Figure 1, the tting having an orifice plug 53 provided with a small orifice 54 (Fig. 4) The size of this orifice will depend somewhat upon the size of the unit, but for units in which the tank 6 has a capacity less than about eighty-two gallons, an oriiice of .046 in diameter is satisfactory. Connected to the pipe connection 52 is a tube 55, the opposite end of which is connected into the well casing l5 either directly into the well seal I6 or conveniently into a vent pipe 56 such as commonly used for venting the well. The purpose of this connection is to cause any water flowing through the orifice 54 to drain back into the well. This size of orifice is such as to allow the water to drain back slowly at substantially a dripping rate. 'Ihe air chamber 25 also has an opening at the lowest point thereof normally closed by a plug as indicated at 51 so that as an alternative the orifice 54 and pipe connection 52 may be inserted directly into the bottom of the air chamber if desired.

When the pump starts for the rst time it will raise the water in the well up through the pipe I1 through the pump discharge casting 24 and through the piping including the air chamber 25 and check valve 26 into the tank 6. As soon as the water begins to move up the pipe l1, air is displaced from the pipe line, and in moving out through the snifter valve 31 causes this valve to close. Therefore, substantially all of the air in the pipe line, including the air chamber 25 and in the vertical drop pipe of the well is forced on through the pipe line and discharged into the pressure tank. The water follows the air and pumping of the water continues until the tank pressure gets up to the shut-ofipoint. When the pump stops, the check valve 26 operates to hold the pressure in the tank, but the water in the piping and in the chamber 25 between the check valve and the orifice 54 immediately begins to run back into the well. The orice 54 is of such size that the rate of return into the well is very slow and amounts to little more than a drip, though this water will run back in a relatively short time. This return flow is permitted by the fact that the stem 46 of the snifter valve drops down and opens this valve as soon as the pressure within the chamber is atmospheric or less, and this allows the air chamber and the line to fill up with air between the check Valve 26 and the orifice 54.

When the pressure on the tank 6 drops down to the cut-in point on the pressure switch 21, the pump again starts the air accumulated in the line and in the air chamber 25 between the check valve 26, and the 'orice 54 is pushed on through the check valve and into the tank, the snifter valve 31 again closing as soon as subjected to pressure within the air chamber. This ycycle is repeated each time the pump starts. The eX- cess of air which accumulates in the pressure tank is discharged by the air release valve 1.

It will be seen that the volume of air thus introduced into the pressure tank 6 is determined by the capacity of the air chamber 25 and of the piping between the check valve 26 and the orifice 54. This makes the construction highly flexible in that the air chamber 25 may be placed at any dista-nce from the discharge outlet of the pump or the oriiice 54, and the more piping introduced between these points the greater the amount of air which will be discharged into the pressure tank. Thus if the pipe between the orifice and the check valve is sufficiently long, a separate air chamber can be substantially eliminated, but under most operating conditions this is impractical and the air chamber is therefore provided of such capacity as to supply an amount of air in excess of that required, and for this purpose in tanks up to about eighty-two gallons capacity I have found an air chamber of about thirteen cubic inches capacity is satisfactory and permits the check valve and the oriiice to be placed in close proximity. This provides a definite faccurate and flexible control over the amount of air forced into the pressure tank with each operation. It will also be seen that this provides a simple and automatic means for introducing the air into the tank and does not involve the use of separate air pumps or other `auxiliary mechanism heretofore used for this purpose. It likewise eliminates the necessity for the use of brass and other critical materials urgently needed for war purposes.

While I have thus described a specic embodiment of the invention, it will be apparent that numerous alterations in the specific construction may be made without departing from the basic concept and mode of operation of the invention.

I claim:

1. The combination in a water system of a pressure storage tank, a pump for delivering water to said tank, a conduit connecting said pump to said tank to conduct said Water thereto, said conduit including an air chamber having inlet and outlet openings adjacent the bottom thereof in different walls, a transverse partition disposed across said air chamber between said openings extending upwardly to a plane adjacent the top of said chamber, said partition having a relatively small opening adjacent the bottom for water to drain slowly from the outlet side of said partition to the inlet side thereof, a check valve for preventing return ilow of water through said conduit, a snifter valve at an elevated point in said chamber for admitting-air to said chamber when said pump is stopped and preventing the egress of air therefrom when said pump is operating to cause the air thus admitted to said chamber to be carried into said tank by the water delivered by said pump, and means providing a bleeder orice between said check valve and said pump to drain the water from said chamber when said pump is stopped and said air valve is open.

2. The combination in a water system of a pressure storage tank, a power operated pump having a portion disposed in the well for lifting water therefrom and delivering the same to said tank, a foot valve positioned in the portion of said pump disposed in the well to prevent return flow of water into the well when the pump stops, pressure operated means for starting and stopping said purnp in response to changes in pressure in said tank, a conduit `connecting said pump to said tank to conduct said water to the latter, a check valve for preventing return iiow of water through said conduit and to the pump, a snifter valve connected to said conduit between said check valve and said pump for admitting air to said conduit when said pump is stopped and preventing the egress of air therefrom when said pump is operating to cause the air thus admitted to said conduit to be carried into said tank by the water delivered by saidpump, an air relief valve in said tank for releasing excess air therefrom, and Imeans providing a bleeder orifice between` said check valve and said pump to drain water at substantially a dripping rate out of at least a portion of said conduit between said check valve and said orifice when said shifter valve is open.

3. The combination in a water system of a pressure storage tank, a pump having a portion disposed in the well for lifting water therefrom and .delivering the same -to said tank, a foot valve positioned in the portion of said pump disposed in the well to prevent return flow of water into the wel-l when the pump stops, a, conduit connecting said pump to said tank to conduct said water to the latter, said conduit including an air chamber body providing an enclosed air chamber, the body having an inlet and an outlet disposed adjacent the bottom of the chamber and a partition disposed transversely across the chamber extending upwardly lto .a point in spaced relation to the top of the chamber to divide the same into inlet and outlet portions, va vcheck valve between said chamber and said tank for preventing return flow of water through said conduit and to the pump, a snifter valve on the top of said air chamber body for admitting air to said conduit when said pump is stopped and preventing the egress of air therefrom when said pump is operating to cause the air thus admitted to said cond-uit to becarried into said tank by the water delivered by said pump, and means providing a bleeder orifice between said check valve and said pump to drain water out of at least a portion of said conduit between said check valve and said oriice when said -snifter valve is open.

4. The combination in a water system of a pressure storage tank, a reciprocating pump having a portion disposed in the well for lifting water therefrom and delivering the saine -to said tank, a foot valve positioned in the portion. of said pump disposed in the well to prevent return flow of water into the well when the pump stops, a conduit xconnecting said pump to said tank to conduct said water to the latter, said conduit .includA ing an air chamber body providing an enclosed air chamber, the lbody having an inlet,and an outlet disposed adjacent the bottom of the chamber and a partition disposed transversely across the chamber extending upwardly to a point in spaced relation to the top of the chamber to divide the same into inlet and outlet portions, a check valve between said chamber and said tank for preventing return flow of water through said conduit and to the pump, a shifter valve on the top of said air chamber ybody for admitting air to said conduit when said pump is stopped and preventing the egress of air therefrom when said pump is operating to .cause the air thusv admitted to said conduit to be carried into said tank by the water delivered by said pump, and means providing a constantly open bleeder oriiice of uniform size between said check valve and said pump to drain water out of at least a portion of said conduit between said check valve and said orifice when said snifter valve is open.

5. The combination in a water system of a pressure storage tank, a power operated pump for delivering water to said tank, said pump having a drop pipe disposed in a well, pressure operated. means for starting and stopping said pump in r-csponse to changes in pressure in said tank, a conduit connecting said pump to said tank to conduct said water to the latter, said conduit including an air chamber having an outlet at an elevated point and an inlet at a low point for displacement of air from said chamber into said outlet upon the entry of water to said chamber, a check valve for preventing return flow of water through said conduit, a snifter valve above the outlet in said chamber for admitting air thereto when said pump is stopped and preventing the egress of air therethrough when said pump is operating to cause the air thus admitted to said chamber to Abe carried into said tank 4by the water delivered by said pump, an air release valve on said tank for releasingr excess air therefrom, means providing a bleeder orifice between said check valve and said pump for draining the water at substantially a dripping rate out of said chamber when said pump is stopped and said snifter valve is open, and a foot valve disposed in said drop pipe for preventing the return flow of water in that portion of the drop pipe disposed between said orifice and said foot valve.

6. The combination in a water system of a pressure storage tank, a power operated pump for delivering Water to said tank, said pump having a drop pipe disposed in a well, a conduit connecting said pump to said tank to conduit said water to the latter, said conduit including an air chamber having an outlet at an elevated point andan inlet at a low point for displacement of air from said chamber into said outlet upon the entry of Water to said chamber, a check valve for preventing return flow of water through said conduit, a snifter valve above the outlet in said chamber f or admitting air thereto when said pump is stopped and preventing the egress of air therethrough when said pump is operating to cause the air :thus admitted to said chamber to be carried into said tank by the water deliveredby said pump, an air release valve on said tank for releasing excess air therefrom, means providing a bleeder oriiice having a diameter of the order of .046 between said check Valve and said pump for draining the water out of said chamber when said pump is stopped and said snifter valve is open, and a foot valve disposed in said drop pipe for preventing ythe return flow of water in that portion of the drop pipe' disposed between said orifice and said lfoot valve.

7. The combination in a pressure water system of an air charging device comprising an air chamber body providing an air chamber, said body having an inlet and an outlet adjacent the bottom lthereof on the same centerline parallel with the bottom of the body, a partition extending across said air chamber intermediate said inlet and outlet and extending upwardly to a point in spaced relation to the top of the chamber, a snifter valve positioned in the top of said body above said outlet, and means providing a drain orifice for said .chamber located at a low point therein, the size of said orifice being small with respect to thesize of said inlet and outlet.

8. The combination in a pressure water system of an air charging device comprising an air chamber body providing an enclosed 'air chamber, said body having an inlet and an outlet disposedadV- jacent the bottom of said chamber, a partition disposed transversely across said chamber and extending upwardly to a point in spaced relation to the top of said chamber to divide the same into inlet and outlet portions, said partition having a small opening at ythe bottom of said chamber to permit water to drain slowly from the outlet to the inlet chamber, a snifter valve positioned at an elevated point in said chamber for admitting air thereto, and means providing a drain orifice for said chamber located at a low point therein, the size of said orifice being small with respect to the size of said inlet and said outlet.

GLENN A. PATTERSON. 

